My old recipe was incredibly dairy- (and calorie-) laden: gobs of sour cream, mounds of sharp cheddar cheese... all stirred together with beans and black olives, slathered between layers of white flour tortillas, and covered in enchilada sauce. Needless to say, not the best for the figure.
I set out to create a healthier version, using only a half-cup of light cheese and bulking it up with tempeh, spinach and mushrooms. It being a particularly lazy Saturday and all, I didn't feel like leaving the apartment for additional ingredients and thus, I used only what I had at home.
Had a couple cans of beans in the pantry, so started with a half-cup each of black and pinto, rinsed and drained.
I had some tempeh kicking around and used four ounces.
(Boy, those beans are pretty.)
Mixed these together in a bowl and then chopped up about a half-cup of leftover mushrooms and threw 'em in. Seasoned with one half-tablespoon of chili powder and one teaspoon of cumin. Sprinkled the mixture with a bit of low-sodium tamari, and added a couple o'shakes of red pepper flakes for extra heat.
Placed a couple whole wheat tortillas at the bottom of a pan and added a bit of (shhhhhhh!) bottled enchilada sauce...
...half of the tempeh mixture, a bit of the shredded cheese, and a handful of baby spinach.
Repeated layers, and then used last two (of six) tortillas to top casserole, cut and arranged in a lattice pattern. (I have an itching to bake a pie, maybe?)
Covered the pan in foil, tossed it in the oven, and baked it until the scent wandering through my kitchen made me smack my lips. Pulled the casserole out, sliced it up, and ate a piece. It was spicy, easy, and...
...well, healthy.
Okay, so it may not be as dairy-laden (read: delicious) as the old version, but this only means I can eat a bigger portion... right?
(Note: This casserole would also benefit from sauteed onion, garlic, green chiles, corn, fresh tomatoes, cilantro... but, y'know, I really didn't feel like leaving the apartment.)
LAZY SATURDAY TEMPEH ENCHILADA CASSEROLE
Serves four
Non-stick cooking spray
4 ounces tempeh, cubed or crumbled
1/2 cup black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup mushrooms, chopped
1/2 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
Low-sodium tamari, to taste
Red pepper flakes, to taste
6 small whole wheat tortillas, cut to fit
2 cups baby spinach
1 cup enchilada sauce (store-bought or homemade)
3/4 cup light shredded Mexican-blend cheese
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 8x8 baking pan with non-stick cooking spray of choice.
Combine tempeh through red pepper flakes in a medium-sized bowl and set aside.
Layer two tortillas at bottom of pan and add 1/4 cup of enchilada sauce. Add 1/2 of tempeh mixture, 1 cup spinach, and 1/4 cup of cheese. Repeat layer. End with tortillas (cut into strips and formed in lattice pattern, if desired), 1/2 cup of enchilada sauce, and 1/4 cup of cheese.
Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for 10 additional minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.
* * *
What to do with the leftover tempeh? Marinate in some gorgeous, citrusy, roasted garlic barbecue sauce...
...add some onion, bake until all yummy, and then serve stuffed inside a hard roll with some fresh greens and maple baked beans on the side.
Tomorrow's lunch, perhaps?
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